Painter

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Painter (画家)
Alias(es)	Fate Painter; Mr. Bai; Scapegoat King 277 453 665
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ten Kings; Ashen Dawn (as the Fate Painter); Ten Hands 453 665 1051
Occupation/Role	Fate manipulator, painter, and strategist 665 849
Status	Alive; last revealed in the Heart Abyss disguised as Ziyuan 1137
First Appearance	Chapter 61 (unnamed); Chapter 84 (named) 61 84

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Post–Forbidden Domain enhancement	778	Painter states that his abilities gradually became stronger after the Forbidden Domain opened, enabling him to notice that his Fate Lines had been altered.
Domain application	903	Activates his domain while the Ten Kings fight Azure Dragon, then uses [Fate Cannot Be Defied] to guide a thrown serum toward a wound.

Appearance

Painter is commonly depicted as a refined, white-clad man carrying an ebony brush. His cultivated elegance contrasts sharply with his notorious reputation and erratic conduct. 61 849

• Tall and straight-backed, with a composed, scholarly bearing. 61
• Usually wears white robes or white clothing. 61 1051
• Wields an Ebony Paintbrush with white bristles. 779
• His hair turned fully white after a severe loss of lifespan; he kept it because he considered the look more elegant. 849
• Has also appeared in a white bath towel, a red dress, and other conspicuous attire while fleeing danger. 777 779
• Carries a large drawing board and art bag while traveling. 1106

Personality

Painter presents himself as refined, witty, and artistically ambitious. He repeatedly claims that his true dream is to become a painter renowned throughout the civilized world, and he still records major events on canvas even during the Ten Kings Conference. 532 866

Behind that pose, he is shamelessly survival-driven. He flatters stronger figures, abandons dangerous situations, and changes sides or tactics whenever necessary to remain alive. He is also highly sensitive to being framed, despite admitting—at least inwardly—that many accusations against him are not entirely undeserved. 533 778 867

His relationship with danger is contradictory: he boasts about being a Ten King and mocks opponents, yet panics when confronted by overwhelming force such as Pseudo-Human Azure Dragon or Nanobombs. 779 896

Painter’s attempts to reconcile with Bai Ye in the Heart Abyss combine emotional appeals, disguises, useful intelligence, and calculated lies. Even after winning a hearing, he privately continues to manipulate the group. 1108 1109 1110 1111

Abilities & Skills

[Fated Hit]

Painter’s signature Transcendence ability manipulates Fate Lines. It can arrange improbably timed accidents, alter luck, inspect fate trajectories, and redirect harm meant for him. 689 801 849

• Causes enemies’ attacks and movements to fail through seemingly natural mishaps. 849
• Increases another person’s luck to help them achieve a desired outcome. 801
• Transfers injuries and lethal consequences onto another target through Fate replacement. 787 739
• Uses [Fate Cannot Be Defied] to guide a thrown object precisely into an enemy’s opening. 903
• Can inspect the vast network of Fate Lines linked to living beings. 689
• Excessive fate manipulation consumes his lifespan; after peering toward the Evil God through Fate, his hair turned white. 724 849
• His guidance can take the form of written directions and warnings, though Painter claims another fate manipulator can alter it. His account of who wrote particular Heart Abyss warnings remains disputed. 1110 1111

Fate Grafting

As the Fate Painter, he reveals a higher application of his power: redirecting fate assigned to one target onto another. After Bai Ye kills him during Time Stop, the Fate Painter restores himself by shifting the fatal outcome onto a Sea Clan soldier. 739

• Prevents his own death by transferring fatal consequences elsewhere. 739
• Makes direct assassination unreliable unless the grafted fate can be interrupted. 739
• Uses Fate Substitution to appear through other people, changing between female and male passersby while pursuing Bai Ye through Shelter 189. 1108
• Can sustain an avatar with his Transcendence, but an avatar collapses when Bai Ye steals its [Fated Hit] Skull Card. 1113

Ink Body and Illusions

Painter can replace his apparent body with ink-like constructs, allowing him to evade attacks that seem to land cleanly. 154 867

• The Warden’s Blood Qi punch dispersed Painter into ink rather than drawing blood. 154
• At the Ten Kings Conference, three simultaneous attacks struck an ink duplicate that burst apart. 867
• His body can dissolve like a wet ink painting after being pierced. 813

Mobility and Physical Combat

Although Painter insists that he is not skilled at direct combat, he can move at extreme speed and fight effectively when escape requires it. 1051 813

• Used his brush to disrupt Azure Dragon’s initial attack. 779
• Pursued Li Xiao through the air and repeatedly kicked him away from Zhou Zhenjiang’s pursuing forces. 813
• Cannot reliably match Azure Dragon’s physical speed or strength head-on. 779

Equipment

• Ebony Paintbrush — Primary tool for manipulating Fate Lines and painting. 61 779
• Canvas and drawing board — Used to record events and conduct fate-related work. 61 866
• Ebony folding fan — Carried by the Fate Painter during Ashen Dawn’s council sessions. 665
• Black Coffin — Frequently shares Gu Huangquan’s coffin as cover or transportation, though it belongs to the Mortician. 867 868

Background / History

Intervention in Freak Paradise

Painter claims that he once tried to free Azure Dragon from Apocalypse Corporation’s control and experimentation. Azure Dragon acknowledges the intervention but maintains that Painter’s “help” caused lasting aftereffects and delayed his awakening instead. 154

He later attempted to persuade the Warden to exploit the leaked Pangu USB Drive and turn Apocalypse’s enemies against it. The Warden rejected the proposal and ordered his Mutated Beasts to tear Painter apart; Painter escaped through his ink-like body. 154

Manipulation of North Mang

Painter advised the Warden not to pursue Black Knight directly, arguing that she would eventually become a weapon against Apocalypse. He instead suggested exposing her investigation into human experimentation, helping intensify the conflict around Apocalypse. 226

His influence became infamous across North Mang. He was identified as the Ten Kings’ Scapegoat King, a conspirator blamed for numerous disasters and carrying a bounty second only to the Black King. 453

Connection to the Fate Painter

In Ashen Dawn, the Fate Painter is one of the Three Emperors and serves as the organization’s chief strategist. He is credited with directing battlefield developments and helping Ashen Dawn contend with the Federation. 665

Bai Ye identifies the Fate Painter as Painter after discovering that both possess the identical Transcendence ability [Fated Hit], something stated to be impossible for two separate people. 671 673

A later account shows the Fate Painter escaping Fate’s control with Mr. Bai’s aid, burning away his current power, using [Fated Hit] on himself, and reincarnating in North Mang to become “a painter renowned throughout the world.” Bai Ye later concludes that Painter never truly escaped [Fate] and has been working toward its descent; this challenges the earlier account of his freedom. 763 1137

Return to North Mang

After the Forbidden Domain opened, Painter discovered that his own Fate Lines had apparently been tampered with. He returned to North Mang to find whoever set him up, only to become a target of Pseudo-Human Azure Dragon. 778

While fleeing Azure Dragon, Painter used Gu Huangquan’s body as a Fate replacement target to transfer his injuries. He then sought shelter in the Steel Brotherhood, believing its territory would provide protection. 787

Steel Brotherhood and Ten Hands

Painter submitted to Zhou Zhenjiang after being overwhelmed by the latter’s Domain Divine Power, then attempted to survive within the Steel Brotherhood through flattery and opportunism. 792 812

He secretly assisted Li Xiao by increasing the Future’s Child’s luck, then attempted to protect him from Zhou Zhenjiang’s forces while pretending to attack him. 801 812 813

Painter later joined the Ten Hands. God’s Hand regarded him as a trusted benefactor and believed Painter had repeatedly helped him achieve power and status, unaware that many of those crises were connected to Painter’s schemes. 1051 1061 1070

Painter fled the Ten Hands’ battle against Night Owl. God’s Hand initially interpreted his disappearance as preparation for a rescue, then called for Painter as Bai Ye stripped away his powers. Painter did not appear. God’s Hand died after Bai Ye showed him the history of Painter’s schemes. 1056 1070

Heart Abyss Schemes

Painter helped God’s Hand find a fissure leading into the Abyss’s inner layer. God’s Hand used that access to reach and parasitize the Chief Judge. Bai Ye later acknowledged Painter’s substantial role both in earlier efforts to save An Xiaotong and the others and in the Ten Hands’ downfall. 1074

After discovering a warning to “Beware of the Painter” alongside evidence of repeated Heart Abyss visits, Painter resolved to enter the situation personally and compete for Bai Ye’s trust. He approached Bai Ye through substituted bodies, claiming to have secretly helped the group and offering the Chief Judge’s location at Shelter 189’s eastern research institute. 1106 1108 1109

Painter explained the shelter’s Cycle and claimed that Doctor had interfered with the directions he had written for Bai Ye’s group. An Xiaotong challenged him over the contradictory warnings, while Bai Ye prevented him from closely inspecting a warning concerning Li You. Painter’s explanations eased some immediate suspicions but did not persuade Bai Ye to keep him nearby. 1110 1111

After obtaining further information, Bai Ye stole Painter’s [Fated Hit] Skull Card and departed, causing Painter’s avatar to collapse. Watching from elsewhere, Painter admitted that he had deliberately brought the group into conflict with the research institute. 1113

Bai Ye subsequently used [Fated Hit] to follow the Fate Lines and exposed Painter hiding among the group as Ziyuan. Painter admitted sabotaging Bai Ye’s attempts to contact Doctor, escape by elevator, and obtain information from Wen Ce, but denied causing Wang Quan’s self-destruct attempt. Bai Ye concluded that Painter’s wider schemes were helping Fang Xubai bring [Fate] into reality. 1137

Relationships

• Bai Ye / Black King — Hostile adversary. Painter fears the Black King’s attention, while Bai Ye considers him responsible for countless disasters and has stolen portions of his power. Their Heart Abyss reunion consists of mutual deception: Painter seeks Bai Ye’s trust, while Bai Ye accepts his information, steals [Fated Hit], and exposes his disguise. 453 532 850 1108 1113 1137
• Gu Huangquan / Mortician — Long-term partner and frequent victim of Painter’s schemes. They bicker constantly, but Painter was visibly devastated when Gu Huangquan appeared to die. 533 783 787
• Azure Dragon / Warden — Former associate turned enemy. Painter claims to have helped free him from Apocalypse; Azure Dragon considers that “help” disastrous and later hunts him relentlessly. 154 778
• Li Xiao / Future’s Child — A covert beneficiary of Painter’s luck manipulation. Painter protects him from Steel Brotherhood forces while maintaining the appearance of hostility. 801 812 813
• Mu Linsen — One of the few people willing to defend Painter publicly, declaring that he knows Painter is a good person. Painter responds by calling him his “best brother.” 866 867
• God’s Hand / Edward Lannister — Ten Hands leader who trusted Painter deeply and viewed him as a benefactor; Painter ultimately fled rather than openly fight beside him. Painter also helped him reach the Abyss’s inner layer and the Chief Judge. 1051 1056 1070 1074
• Zhou Zhenjiang — Painter submitted to him under pressure and offered to kill Li Xiao as a pledge of loyalty. 792 812
• Collector — Hostile fellow Ten King whose property Painter attempted to “borrow,” provoking further animosity. 532 868
• Doctor — Painter claims Doctor altered his [Fated Hit] guidance in the Heart Abyss; Bai Ye later accuses Painter of obstructing his attempts to contact Doctor. 1111 1137
• [Fate] — The Fate Painter’s account describes an escape from its control. Bai Ye later concludes that Painter remained under its influence and was helping arrange its descent. 763 1137

Notable Quotes

“I am a Painter.” 849

“My original dream was to become a great painter renowned throughout the civilized world.” 532

“No way? No way? No one actually thinks I’m weak, right?” 779

Trivia

• Painter’s bounty exceeded three billion after he was blamed for opening the Forbidden Domain. 778
• He failed an art-school entrance examination before becoming a wanted criminal and one of the Ten Kings. 866
• His reputation is so disastrous that Bai Ye argues being Painter’s ally is more dangerous than being his enemy. 850
• At one point, the group in the Heart Abyss realizes that Bai Ye himself is Painter; the supplied accounts do not resolve this apparent identity contradiction. 1082